


Ordinary People

by mldrgrl



Series: Adventures of The Lady Detective and The Writer [53]
Category: Californication (TV), The Fall (TV 2013)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23178349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mldrgrl/pseuds/mldrgrl
Summary: In the Hanella universe, March 15th is Hank's birthday.
Relationships: Stella Gibson/Hank Moody
Series: Adventures of The Lady Detective and The Writer [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/577279
Comments: 20
Kudos: 44





	Ordinary People

Hank likes Sunday mornings the best. By virtue of a long-held agreement, Sunday mornings are unhurried and unplanned. Afternoon brunch with Becca is usually on the calendar, but the mornings belong to them. That’s why, when Stella’s cellphone rings at 9am, and she answers it, Hank rolls over with a disgruntled groan.

“Of course,” Stella says, slipping out of bed and Hank’s searching grasp. “Yes, of course. I’ll be right there.”

“Timeizit,” he mutters, coming up on his elbows, face scrunching as he struggles to fully open his eyes. “Where you goin’?”

“Go back to sleep,” is all she says, and then she disappears into the bathroom.

Hank flops back down to the bed and buries his head under the pillows. He tries to fall back to sleep, but he knows it’s futile. Groaning again, he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. He jams one fist against his eyes, rubbing the sleep out, and searches the floor blindly for the pair of shorts he’d whipped off and slingshotted at Stella the night before when they were on their way to bed. He knew they’d landed there somewhere. 

Stella comes out of the bathroom in a peach silk camisole and navy blue panties. He perks up a little as she crosses towards him, but she’s only there at the side of the bed to retrieve her diamond earrings. As she afixes them in her ears, he hooks an arm around her waist and drags her into the space between his open knees. 

“Go back to sleep,” she says again.

“Who was on the phone?” His voice is muffled as he rubs his face against her hip and tries to nuzzle her panties aside.

“School.”

“On a Sunday?”

“I just need to run up and take some exam notes around to my TA.”

“Can’t you email them?”

“I’ll be quick.” She wiggles her hips out of his clutches, but he pulls her back in.

“I can be quick too.” He gets his fingers under her panties to squeeze her right asscheek and tugs the left side down at the hip.

“Later, Watson.” She pushes him gently, but firmly away. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

He rubs the back of his head and unhappily watches her get dressed. It takes her less than two minutes to get into a pair of black, cropped pants, and a black and white striped sweater. She pulls on a pair of black flats and then she’s gone and he still hasn’t found his shorts.

*****

Two hours later, Hank has showered, fiddled with the latest chapter of his novel, and accidentally watched an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but Stella isn’t home. He receives a text at 11:30:  _ Work issue to resolve taking longer than anticipated. Meet at Sarabeth’s for Becca brunch at 1. x - Sherlock. _ Because he’s annoyed, he texts back a sad face and an eggplant, hoping she feels guilty for leaving their bed for work. And he really wants her to know how unhappy his dick is about it. She doesn’t respond.

It’s a nice, unseasonably warm and sunny day with a cool, but gentle breeze, so he decides to walk to the upper west side to meet his wife and daughter. It takes a little more than an hour, and on the way, he feels guilty for trying to make Stella feel bad, so he stops and buys her a bouquet of blue roses. He probably has something to apologize for to Becca as well, so he gets her a colorful arrangement of daisies.

He’s early by ten minutes to Sarabeth’s and heads inside to try to get a table for three. He doesn’t have to though. He spots Becca at an upper level table and she waves at him. He points out his party to the hostess and then ascends the staircase, two at a time. It’s obvious to him something’s fishy by the wide smile on Becca’s face. Stella’s back is to him.

“Milady,” Hank says, handing Stella her bouquet. He presents the other to Becca with a nod. “Mi-other-lady.”

“What’s this for?” Stella asks. 

“Being a general pain in the ass,” he answers as he sits down beside her. She laughs lightly and he places a lingering kiss to her cheek that she leans into. He catches the hand she lifts to stroke his face and kisses her fingers one by one and gives her hand a squeeze as he pulls away. 

Becca still has the mysterious grin plastered on her face. Hank eyes her suspiciously. “Have you been dabbling with nitrous oxide, Daughter?”

“Can I give it to him?” Becca asks, shifting her eyes between Hank and Stella. She looks ready to burst with excitement, so much so it’s palpable.

“Go on.” Stella nods.

Becca turns and reaches into her bag. She pulls out a shoebox-sized package wrapped in silver paper and passes it over the table to Hank.

“Me?” Hank asks, accepting the package.

“Happy birthday!” Becca exclaims.

“Oh…” He’s forgotten. Never much of a celebrator of birthdays, he’s forgotten that today was March 15th. He looks from Becca to Stella. “You two conspired on something?”

Becca nods and grins. “Open it.”

“Alright.” 

Hank tears through the silver paper and uncovers an old, wooden cigar box. It’s got more depth to it than boxes he’d ever seen before, fitting at least four rows of cigars deep by his estimate. And it’s weighty, so he doesn’t think it’s full of cigars. He flips up the aged metal latch at the front of the box and inside is a book. Not just any book, a hard copy, possibly first edition of Call it Sleep by Henry Roth.

“Oh,” he says. 

  
“Keep opening!” Becca orders.

“Okay, okay.”

On closer inspection, before he even opens the book, he can see something is off about it. The pages seem strange, like they’ve been altered somehow. He opens the cover and on the inside is a small manila sleeve, stamped with PROPERTY OF MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. There’s even a checkout slot still embedded inside with return dates back to the 1940s. The copyright page indicates that it is not a first edition, but a fifth. He starts flipping the pages and that’s when he’s able to see how unique this book really is.

“What in the hell,” he murmurs. Pages have been replaced with handwritten notes. There are photos embedded inside. Polaroids, even. Part of the book has been hollowed out and a tiny bottle of airplane-sized Jack Daniels has been nestled inside.

“We called people,” Becca said. “Friends and stuff. Mom helped. Asked them to personalize something for the book for you.”

“All these notes and things are…”

“From everyone. Aunt Heather, mom, me, Stella, Fish, Charlie, Marcy-”

“I miss that bald little creep and Cokey Smurf.”

“Fish added the bottle of whiskey. He said to tell you there’s an adult-sized one waiting for you next time you come up to the house.”

“The Trout’s a good man.”

“We’ve been working on it for over a year.”

“Over a year?” Hank looks up, incredulous. 

“It took awhile to get from person to person. It was Stella’s idea.”

He tries not to look surprised, but he can’t help it. Stella has never revealed a creative side to him. “Really?” 

“Something I read about.” She waves a hand, dismissively. “I didn’t invent the concept. I just thought it might be something you’d enjoy.”

“I do. It’s really...it’s just really...” Hank stops. He finds himself choking up a little.

Stella leans over, kisses his ear and whispers, “Happy birthday, love.”

“Which pages...where do I find your notes?” he asks.

“Read them later.”

“Aunt Heather painted silhouettes of the city skyline on some of the pages,” Becca says.

“I’m going to go over all of this with a fine tooth comb when I get home. Thank you, ladies.”

“And Karen,” Stella adds. “She was the perfect liaison.” 

“I can’t believe you guys did this. I can’t believe anyone would do this. For me.”

“We love you.” Becca smiles broadly and then gets out of her seat. She gives Hank a hug and then straightens. “Have to run to the bathroom. Be right back.”

When Becca leaves, Hank turns to Stella. “You didn’t have to go up to work today, did you?” 

“No, I had to pick up that box.” She nods down to the cigar box on the table. “We were able to acquire it last minute from a flea market auction and only had a small window of opportunity to pick it up.” 

“This was really incredible. Thank you. I can’t wait to find what you contributed.”

“I haven’t added mine yet.”

“No?”

“It’s with me. It’s just too...personal.”

“Something you wrote?”

She nods.

“Will you read it to me later?”

“No.”

“No?”

“You can read it yourself.” She blushes and turns her face away from him. 

He runs his fingers through her hair and then cups her cheek and brings her gaze back to his. “Do I get a birthday blow job tonight or is this old library book my only gift?”

She chuckles and takes up the bouquet he’d given her from her lap to smack him on the leg with it. He kisses her once, twice, and then goes in deep on a third. She’s breathless when he pulls away.

“I love you, Sherlock,” he says.

“Happy birthday, Watson.”

The End

  
  



End file.
